Garment

ABSTRACT

A WRAP-AROUND GARMENT IS MADE WITH TIES AND WITH TIERECEIVING OPENINGS WHICH PERMIT THE LEFT-HAND FRONT PORTION OF THAT GARMENT TO BE WRAPPED OVER THE RIGHT-HAND FRONT PORTION OF THAT GARMENT OR PERMIT THE RIGHT-HAND FRONT PORTION OF THAT GARMENT TO BE WRAPPED OVER THE LEFT-HAND FRONT PORTION OF THAT GARMENT.

N. L. BELKIN June 22, 1971 GARMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 19, 1969 w n ,l y

N. L. BELKIN June 22, 1971 GARMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 19, 1969 United States Patent O 3,585,640 GARMENT Nathan L. Belkin, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Angelica Corporation, St. Louis, Mo. Filed May 19, 1969, Ser. No. 825,544 Int. Cl. A41d 1/22 U.S. Cl. 2-74 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wrap-around garment is made with ties and with tiereceiving openings which permit the left-hand front portion of that garment to be wrapped over the right-hand front portion of that V-garment or permit the right-hand front portion of that garment to be wrapped over the left-hand front portion of that garment.

This invention relates to improvements in garments. More particularly, this invention relates to improvements in wrap-around garments.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an improved wrap-around garment.

Some persons nd it easier and more convenient to wrap the left-hand front portion of a Wrap-around garment over the right-hand front portion of that garment, whereas other persons nd it easier and more convenient to wrap the right-hand front portion of such a garment over the left-hand front portion of that garment. Consequently, it would be desirable to provide a wrap-around garment which could have the left-hand front portion thereof wrapped over the right-hand front portion thereof or could have that right-hand front portion wrapped over that left-hand front portion. Further, it would be desirable to make such a wrap-around garment so it was easy to wear and simple to tie. The present invention provides such a wrap-around garment; and it does so by arranging a single set of ties so those ties can hold the left-hand front portion of that garment wrapped over the right-hand front portion of that garment or can hold the right-hand front portion of that garment wrapped over the left-hand front portion of that garment. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a wrap-around garment which has a single set of ties that can hold the left-hand front portion of that garment wrapped over the right-hand front portion of that garment or can hold that right-hand front portion wrapped over that left-hand front portion,

The wrap-around garment provided by the present invention has a rear portion and two front portions; and the ties are secured to the free edges of those front portions, and tie-receiving openings are formed in that Wraparound garment rearwardly of those free edges. Whenever the wearer of the wrap-around garment wishes to wrap the right-hand front portion of that garment over the left-hand front portion of that garment, the tie which extends outwardly beyond the free edge of that left-hand front portion is passed through the tie-receiving opening which is located rearwardly of the free edge of that right-hand front portion; and then that tie is used to draw that left-hand front portion inwardly toward the body of the wearer. Thereafter, the tie which extends outwardly beyond the free edge of the right-hand front portion of the wrap-around garment is passed through a tie-receiving loop which is located rearwardly of the free edge of the left-hand front portion of that garment; and then that tie is used to draw that right-hand front portion close to the body of the user. Conversely, whenever the wearer of the wrap-around garment wishes to wrap the left-hand front portion of that garment over the righthand front portion of that garment, the tie which exice tends outwardly beyond the free edge of that right-hand front portion is passed through the tie-receiving opening which is located rearwardly of the free edge of that lefthand front portion of that garment; and then that tie is used to draw that right-hand portion inwardly toward the body of the wearer. Thereafter, the tie which extends outwardly beyond the free edge of the left-hand front portion of the wrap-around garment is passed through a tie-receiving loop which is located rearwardly of the free edge of the right-hand front portion of that garment; and then that tie is used to draw that left-hand front portion close to the body of the user. In this way, the wearer of the wrap-around garment provided by the present invention can alternatively wrap the left-hand `front portion of that garment over the right-hand front portion of that garment or wrap that right-hand front portion over that left-hand front portion. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a wrap-around garment which has a rear portion, a lefthand front portion, a right-hand front portion, ties eX- tending outwardly beyond the free edges of the left-hand and right-hand front portions, a tie-receiving opening and a tie-receiving loop located rearwardly of the free edge of that left-hand front portion, and a tie-receiving opening and a tie-receiving loop located rearwardly of the free edge of that right-hand front portion.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention should become apparent from an examination of the drawing and accompanying description.

In the drawing and accompanying description a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown and described but it is to be understood .that the drawing and accompanying description are for the purpose of illustration only and do not limit the invention and that the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of one preferred embodiment of wrap-around garment that is made in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the garment shown in FIG. 1, v

FIG, 3 is a partially 'broken-away, rear elevational view, on a larger scale; of a portion of the garment shown in FIGS. l and 2,

FIG. 4 is partially broken-away View, on the scale of FIG. 3, of part of the inner surface of the garment shown in FIGS. l and 2,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view, on a still larger scale, through the garment shown in FIGS. l and 2, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 5-5 in FIG. 3,

FIG. 6 is a sectional view, on the scale of FIG. 5, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 6 6 in FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic, sectional view which indicates how the left-hand and right-hand front portions and the ties of the garment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 appear whenever that left-hand front portion is wrapped over that right-hand front portion and the ties are to be tied at the rear of the wearer,

FIG. y8 is a diagrammatic, sectional view which indicates how the left-hand and right-hand front portions and the ties of the garment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 appear whenever that righthand front portion is wrapped over that left-hand front portion and the ties are to be tied at the rear of the wearer,

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic, sectional view which indicates how the left-hand and right-hand front portions and the ties of the garment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 appear whenever that left-hand front portion is wrapped over that right-hand front portion and the ties are to tied at the front of the wearer,

FIG. is a diagrammatic, sectional view which indicates how the left-hand and right-hand front portions and the ties of the garment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 appear whenever that right-hand front portion is wrapped over that left-hand front portion and the ties are to be tied at the front of the wearer,

FIG. ll is an elevational View showing how the garment of FIGS. 1 and 2 appears 1when the left-hand front portion is wrapped over the right-hand front portion and the ties are tied at the front of the wearer,

FIG. 12 is an elevational view showing how the garment of FIGS. 1 and 2 appears when the right-hand front portion is wrapped over the left-hand front portion and the ties are tied at the front of the wearer,

FIG. 13 is a rear elevational =view showing how the garment of FIGS. 1 and 2 appears when the left-hand front portion is wrapped over the right-hand front portion and the ties are tied at the front of the wearer, and

FIG. 14 is a rear elevational view showing how the garment of FIGS. 1 and 2 appears when either front portion is wrapped over the other front portion and the ties are tied at the rear of the wearer.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the numeral denotes one of the front portions of one preferred embodiment of wrap-around garment that is made in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention; and, as considered from the point of view of the wearer, that portion is the right-hand front portion of that garment. The bottom edge and the free edge of the front portion 20 are shown as having hems therein. The numeral 22 denotes the other front portion of the wrap-around garment; and as considered from the point of View of the wearer, that portion is the left-hand front portion of that garment. The bottom edge and the free edge of the front portion 22 are shown as having hems therein. The numeral 24 denotes the back portion of the wrap-around garment; and the bottom edge and the neck-defining upper edge of that portion are shown as having hems therein. The rear edge of the right-hand front portion 20 is secured to the right-hand edge of the rear portion 24 by a vertically-extending seam 32; and the rear edge of the left-hand front portion 22 is secured to the left-hand edge of the rear portion 24 by a lvertically-extending seam 30. The upper edge of the front portion 20 and the upper edge of the rightahand part of the rear portion 24 are secured together by a seam, not shown. Similarly, the upper edge of the front portion 22 and the upper edge of the left-hand part of the rear portion 24 are secured together by a seam, not shown. If desired, the wrap-around garment provided by the present invention could be made without the side seams and 32 in any of the ways known to those skilled in the art.

A sleeve 26 is secured to the right-hand front portion 20 and to the rear portion 24 by suitable seams; and a sleeve 28 is secured to the lefthand front portion 22 and to the rear portion 24 by suitable seams. While FIG. l shows sleeves that are formed so each of them has just one axially-directed seam therein, any desired type of sleeve could be used. For example, sleeves with two axially-directed seams therein could be used in place of the sleeves 26 and 28, or cap or raglan sleeves could be used in place of those sleeves; because the sleeves 26 and 28 are not, per se, part of the present invention.

The numeral 34 denotes a tie-receiving loop which is secured to the seam 30 at about waist height; and the numeral 36 denotes a tie-receiving loop which is secured to the seam 32 at about waist height. Each of those tiereceiving loops is preferably formed from a single piece of material that is folded to make each of those loops a two-ply loop. As shown particularly by FIG. 6, the tiereceiving loop 34 has the upper and lower ends folded inwardly against the seam 30; and those ends are held 4 in position by stitches 47. The upper and lower ends of the tie-receiving loop 36 are folded inwardly against the seam 33; and those ends are held in position by stitches, not shown.

The numeral 38 denotes a two-ply reinforcement which is generally triangular in elevation, as shown particularly by FIG. 4. The apex of that two-ply reinforcement extends away from the seam 38; but the elongated edge of that two-ply reinforcement will be disposed between the hemrned edges of the left-hand front portion 22 and of the rear portion 24 before the seam 30 is stitched. As a result, the elongated edge of the two-ply reinforcement 38 will be permanently and xedly secured to the front portion 22 and to the rear portion 24, as indicated by FIG. 5. A tie-receiving opening 40 is provided in lthe front portion 22; and corresponding openings 42 and 44 are provided in the plies of the two-ply reinforcement 38. As shown particularly by FIG. 5, the openings 40, 42 and 44 are in register with each other; and the edges of all of those openings are bound together by stitches 46. As a result, the three openings 40, 42 and 44 constitute an overall bound tie-receiving opening 45. The stitches 46 not only serve to bind together the edges of all of the openings 40, 42 and 44 but they also secure the central portion of the two-ply reinforcement 38 to the front portion 22. This is desirable; because it enables that reinforcement to underlie and reinforce the parts of the front portion 22 which define the bound tie-receiving opening 45, and also keeps that reinforcement from hanging loosely adjacent the inner surface of that front portion. As shown particularly by FIG. 2, the tie-receiving opening is adjacent the tie-receiving loop 34. If desired, the two-ply reinforcement 38 could have a polygonal-arcuate configuration.

The numeral 48 denotes a bound tie-receiving opening in the front portion 20 which is similar to the bound tiereceiving opening 45 in the front portion '22. A two-ply reinforcement 39, which is essentially identical to the twoply reinforcement 38, is secured to the seam 32. As shown by FIG. 2, the twoply reinforcement 39 extends forwardly from the seam 32 to underlie and reinforce the parts of the front portion 20 which define the bound tie-receiving opening 48. The two-ply reinforcement 39 has an opening in each ply thereof in register with the corresponding opening in the front portion 20; and stitching binds the edges of all of those openings to form the overall bound tie-receiving opening 48. The stitching which binds the edges of the opening 48 will keep the two-ply reinforcement 39 from hanging loosely adjacent the inner surface of the front portion 20. If desired, the two-ply reinforcement 39 could have a polygonal, arcuate, or polygonal-arcuate configuration.

The numeral 50 denotes a tie which is secured to, and which extends outwardly beyond, the free edge of the front portion 20; and the numeral 52 denotes a tie which is secured to, and which extends outwardly beyond the free edge of, the front portion 22. Those ties constitute a single set of ties for the wrap-around garment. The tie 50 is dimensioned to extend through the tie-receiving loop 34 or the bound tie-receiving opening 45. Similarly, the tie 52 is dimensioned to extend through the tie-receiving loop 36 `or the bound tie-receiving opening 48. The ties 50 and 52 are made long enough so their combined length plus the width of either of the front portions 20 and 22 materially exceed the girth of the wearer of the wraparound garment. As a result, the ties 50 and 52 are long enough to permit them to be tied together after the wearer has donned the wrap-around garment.

If the wearer wishes to wrap the left-hand front portion 22 over the right-hand front portion 20 and to tie the ties 50 and 52 in the rear, as `indicated by FIG. 7, the wearer will pass the free end of the tie through the bound tie-receiving opening 45 and use that tie to draw the right-hand portion 20 close to his or her body. Thereafter, that wearer will pass the free end of the tie 52 through the tie-receiving loop 36 and use that tie to draw the left-hand front portion 22 close to his or her body. At such time, the wearer will tie the free ends of the ties 50 and `52 at the rear of his or her body.

If the wearer wishes to wrap the right-hand front portion 20 over the left-hand front portion 22 and totie the ties 50 and 52 in the rear, as indicated by FIG.y 8, the wearer will pass the free end of the tie 52 through the bound tie-receiving opening 48 and use that tie to draw the left-hand front portion 22 close to his or her body. Thereafter, that wearer will pass the free end of the tie `S through the tie-receiving loop 34 and use that tie to draw the right-hand front portion close to his or her body. At such time, the -wearer will tie the free ends of the ties 50 and 52 at the rear of his or her body.

If the wearer lwishes to wrap the right-hand front portion 20 over the left-hand front portion 22 and to tie the ties I50 and 52 in front, as indicated by FIGS. 9 and 1l, the wearer will pass the free end of the tie 50 through the bound tie-receiving opening 45 and use that tie to draw the right-hand portion 20 close to his or her body. Thereafter, that wearer will pass the free end of the tie 52 through the tie-receiving loop 36 and use that tie to draw the lefthand front portion 22 close to his or her body. At such time, the wearer will tie the free ends of the ties 50 and 52 at the front of his or her body.

If the wearer wishes to wrap the right-hand front portion 20 over the left-hand portion 22 and to tie the ties `50 and 52 in front, as indicated by FIGS. l0 and 12, the wearer will pass the free end of the tie 52 through the bound tie-receiving opening 48 and use that tie to draw the left-hand front portion 22 close to his or her body. Thereafter, that wearer will pass the free end of the tie 50 through the tie-receiving loop 34 and use that tie to draw the right-hand front portion 20 close to his or her body. At such time, the wearer will tie the free ends of the ties 50 and 52 at the front of his or her body.

As indicated by FIGS. 9 and 10, the tie-receiving loops 34 and 36 are useful in enabling the wearer of the wraparound garment to tie the free ends of the ties 50 and 52 at the front of his or her body. When, as indicated by FIGS. 7 and 8, the ties 50 and '52 are passed through the tie-receiving loops 34 and 36, those tie-receiving loops will help keep those ties from drooping downwardly. However, the tie-receiving loops 34 and 36 could be eliminated if the wearer did not wish to tie the ties 50 and 52 in front of his or her body.

The embodiment of wrap-around garment shown in the drawing is very useful as an examining gown for patients in a hospital or in a physicians examining room. However, if desired, the principles and teachings of the present invention could be embodied in garments other than examining gowns.

Whereas the drawing and accompanying description have shown and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the form of the invention without affecting the scope thereof.

What I claim is:

1. A wrap-around garment which has a left-hand front portion, a right-hand front portion, a tie extending outwardly beyond the free edge of said left-hand front portion, a second tie extending outwardly beyond the free edge of said right-hand front portion, an opening-defining portion of said wrap-around garment which defines a tiereceiving opening that is spaced inwardly from said free edge of said left-hand front portion and that is dimensioned to receive said second tie, a second opening defining portion of said wrap-around garment which defines a second tie-receiving opening that is spaced inwardly from said free edge of said right-hand front portion and that is dimensioned to receive the first said tie, a rear portion, a generally vertically-directed seam interconnecting said lefthand front portion with said rear portion, said beam being disposed adjacent but a short distance away from the first said tie-receiving opening, a second generally lverticallydirected seam interconnecting said right-hand portion with said rear portion, said second seam being disposed adjacent but a short distance away from said second tie-receiving opening, a generally-fiat reinforcement which has a part thereof secured to and held by said first said gening a register with said first said tie-receiving opening defining portion therein that defines a tie-receiving opening in register with a said first said tie-receiving opening in said wrap-around garment, said opening-defining portion of said reinforcement being coextensive with and reinforcing said first said opening-defining portion of said wraparound garment, said tie-receiving opening in said reinforcement being dimensioned to receive said second tie, a second generally-flat reinforcement Iwhich has a part thereof secured to and held by said second generally vertically-directed seam and which has an opening-defining portion therein that defines a tie-receiving opening in register with said second tie-receiving opening in said wraparound garment, said opening-defining portion of said second reinforcement being coextensive with and reinforcing said second opening-defining portion of said wrap-around garment, said tie-receiving opening in said second reinforcement being dimensioned to receive said first said tie, one of said right and left hand front portions being selectively secured over the other wherein the first said tie-receiving opening in said wrap-around garment and said tiereceiving opening in the first said reinforcement receives said second tie to permit said right-hand portion to be diS- posed beneath said left-hand portion or said second tiereceilving opening in said wrap-around garment and said tie-receiving opening in said second reinforcement receives the first said tie to permit said left-hand portion to be disposed beneath said right-hand portion.

2. A wrap-around garment as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first said reinforcement is triangular in configuration and wherein the apex of said first said reinforcement extends away from said first said seam, wherein stitches bind together the first said tie-receiving opening in said wrap-around garment and said tie receiving opening in said first said reinforcement to form a plural-ply tie-receiving opening, `wherein said second reinforcement is triangular in configuration and wherein the apex of said second reinforcement extends away from said second seam, wherein further stitches bind together said second tic-receiving opening in said wrap-around garment and said tiereceiving opening in said second reinforcement to form a second plural-ply tie-receiving opening, wherein the rst said plural-ply tie-receiving opening extends parallel to said first said seam and wherein said second plural-ply tiereceiving opening extends parallel to said second seam.

3. A wrap-around garment as claimed in claim 1 wherein a tie-receiving loop is secured to and abuts said first saidseam of said wrap-around garment and thus adjacent said first said tie-receiving opening in said wrap-around garment, wherein a second tie-receiving loop is secured to and abuts sai second seam of said wrap-around garment and thus adjacent said second tie-receiving opening in said wrap-around garment, the first said and said second tie receiving loops being disposed at the exterior of said wrap-around garment, the first said and said second reinforcements being disposed at the interior of said wraparound garment.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 884,063 4/ 1908 Baldwin 2-74X 1,849,578 3/1932 Jackson 2-74 1,903,403 4/1933 Jacobs 2-74 2,091,084 8/ 1937 Quinn 2-74 H. HAMPTON HUNTER, Primary Examiner 

